YOU'VE GOT A LOT OF NERVES

A few months ago, I was doing a presentation for a business group and everything that could go wrong did go wrong. 

So, naturally, I got a bad case of nerves – which was kind of unusual considering the number of times I’ve spoken in my career, and that part of the work that I do involves training speakers.

The result was a case of really bad dry mouth, like that feeling of cotton balls stuck in my throat, and lips so heavy that I could barely open my mouth. The entire time I was speaking I was wondering can people tell how nervous I am – or worse, can they even hear a word I am saying.

A few rookie mistakes:

1. I never stopped to grab a glass of water,

2. I didn’t make sure there was a glass of water nearby

3. I was so attached to everything being perfect – including tech – that I didn’t plan for what to do when things might go haywire 

4. I didn’t hydrate sufficiently before I started speaking

5. I didn't eat a banana that morning - that always helps me before I speak

6. I didn't have any throat lozenges handy

Nerves are a pretty inevitable part of public speaking. This is probably the reason why so many people dread speaking.

Now, it takes some vulnerability here as I share this since I am., after all, ahem, the expert. But this is to say that even experts have off days, and it is useful to always remind ourselves of the basics – those things to do to manage our nerves.

The Basics:

1. Know your material

2. Rehearse, but not so much that you seem over-rehearsed or canned

3. Get to the room early, and meet some people, so you feel like you have friends in the audience

4. Familiarize yourself with your room set up, and rehearse your tech

5. Try to have fun, even when things go wrong!